The Divine Appointment; Luke 19:1-10

Delivered during the Sunday Morning Worship Service, 1/5/25. As Jesus passes through Jericho on His way to Jerusalem and the Cross, He meets a chief tax-collector named Zacchaeus. This well-known story is a favorite with children, perhaps because of Zacchaeus' short stature and the fact that he climbs a tree to get a look at Jesus as He walks by. But what happens in this "living parable" is of eternal consequence. Jesus, knowing that Zacchaeus was to be in that tree at that exact moment stops, calls Zacchaeus to come down and emphatically invites Himself to stay at Zacchaeus' house. Somewhere in the process, Zacchaeus' eternal soul is saved and his earthly life is transformed. We will analyze this familiar story paying particular attention to God's sovereignty in election. We will put it into the context of what we have already learned about the doctrines of redemption and the essential elements of salvation. Ultimately, we will realize that the story is depicting a divine appointment between Zacchaeus and the One who came to 'seek and save the lost'.